Mamata Banerjee is planning mid-term elections sometime in the second half of this year to blunt what insiders say BJP’s upsurge, sources that have the ears of Kalighat (Banerjee’s official residence) say.
The unprecedented decision to hold Budget Session ahead of New Delhi, and putting some of her trusted men on strategic Government posts bypassing senior Ministers were two indications that had caught the eye of the Opposition. “We will not comment on what is within the Government’s prerogatives but we have no problem going to polls whenever it is announced,” CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakrabarty says insisting “this time round people of Bengal will see surprising results.”
According to sources, Banerjee is counting on the police intelligence reports that suggest that the Trinamool Congress is unlikely to gain its lost popularity and that its graph will continue to fall further; more so if leaders like Mukul Roy are arrested by the CBI. The former Railway Minister is likely to appear before the Central agency on Friday in connection to the chit fund scam.
literally floored by the consequences of multi-crore Saradha scam, brewing discontent against her alleged dictatorial style of functioning and intelligence reports confirming “secret transactions” between the disgruntled Trinamool Congress leaders and the saffron outfit has made the Chief Minister fidgety.
She is almost certain to play the election card and make a last ditch effort to pull her party out of the woods sources say. Banerjee is known to have dropped some kind of hint to a couple of senior bureaucrats at the State secretariat. These officials have been asked to keep close on some Ministers.
According to sources while Finance Minister Amit Mitra has been asked to prepare a “startling Budget” full with sops an MP-cum-senior lawyer has been directed to stay put in Delhi in order to strike some kind of adjustment with the Tatas on Singur so that she can go to the farmers with some kind of promise.
A number of State Ministers like Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, Becharam Manna, Arup Roy have reportedly advised her to go for early polls so that she can “blunt the CBI weapon of the BJP.” Police Intelligence has also been asked to ascertain the minds of the minority voters as to whether they are still with the Trinamool in full numbers sources said. According to a Minister who is close to Banerjee the Chief Minister has been informed that the minorities are still with her and “will remain so till the CBI does not reach Kalighat,” after grilling leaders like Roy, Madan Mitra and others.
The Chief Minister is planning to hold elections before any “planned CBI raid” dwindles the confidence of minority voters in her forcing them to look for other avenues. Banerjee is also suspecting coup from within the party. According to sources she has been informed about two persons who are in contact with BJP, left and the Congress. She has been told about 46 MlAs, seven Ministers and four MPs who should be watched.
These leaders are Subroto Mukherjee her own Panchayat Minister and Sisir Adhikary the East Midnapore patriarch and former Union Minister. While the Chief Minister may not touch the heavyweight leaders she may take action against SK Ghosh and Sabyasachi Dutta two MlAs from Siuri and Rajarhaat have also cocked a snook at the leadership.
These leaders might be suspended after the party disciplinary meeting on Saturday in order to teach a lesson to the other possible rebels. “The CM will never want the election to take place without she being in power because then the whole game will change as the local clubs that have received endowments from her Government could change tack,” said a party MlA.